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After brilliant 85 percent vote for strikes...
LONDON-WIDE STRIKES
CAN BEAT BACK BOSSES
O
n TuESDAY 13 JaNUARY Up to
27,000 Unite members are set
to join the first London wide
bus strike since the Olympic bonus
campaign in 2012.
This is exactly the way to fight back
against the unfairness and absurdity of some
80 different rates of pay across Londons
18 different bus operators. Drivers who do
the same job should be paid the same rate!
Pay varies by up to 3 an hour across the
companies for new starters from 9.30 to
12.34.
And the amount of time that drivers are
on new starter pay gets longer and longer
company by company.
Immense
Since deregulation and privatisation of the
buses its been a race to the bottom and
an intensification of the divide and rule
agenda. This has made it easier for bullying
managers to have their way.
Its time to stop the rot! This strike can be
a big step towards reversing the damage and
strengthening drivers collective power.
And when bus drivers stand together and
fight back they have enormous power. They
can bring the capital to a standstill.
Thats why the Olympic bonus strike won
drivers across London a better deal.
The recent threat of strikes at Arriva and
the Tower Transit strike at Lea Interchange,
in East London on 29 December both forced
bosses to make improved offers.
At Lea Interchange one of the top bosses
of Transit Systems, Neil Smith, even
showed up on the picket line and tried to
negotiate an on-the-spot improved deal! It
Tower Transit drivers on the picket line in December
showed that he was under pressure. Drivers
rightly told him where he could go! Smith
was desperate for the strike not to go ahead.
The immense power that bus drivers have
when they strike means that the bosses will
stop at nothing to prevent strikes happening.
There is another lesson from the Olympic
Bonus campaign. Bosses at Arriva the
Shires, Metroline and London General ran
to the courts for injunctions against the
strikeand they won. Unite responded
with garage blockadesoutside Londons
Metroline garages, which gave the bosses a
big headache.
Intensify
If bus bosses run to the courts again the best
possible response would be for bus drivers
in garages across London to collectively
defy Britains vicious anti-union laws and
walk out anyway.
The strike on the 13 January will be
important for another reason. Ukip, the
Tories and Labour have all been competing
to attack migrants for the problems created
by Tory austerity policiesthis will
intensify as the election draws closer.
Big, lively bus workers picket lines
will bring together people from all over
the worldthe people who keep London
moving. This is something to celebrate and
an antidote to Farages racism.
We cant rely on Labour for change. Ed
Balls has just restated Labours commitment
to Tory spending plans. It underlines the
need to fight to organise a serious fightback.
Bus workers are not alone. Hundreds of
thousands of healthworkers will strike again
on 29 January and 25 February.
This strike can be a push back to
collective bargaining and a blow against
bullying bosses.
Every bus driver has to do everything
they can to make sure that this strike is as
strong as possible and if the bosses dont
budge, itll be necessary to escalate the
dispute. Victory to the bus workers!
Rage Against Racism march
Saturday 21 March, central London.
standuptoracism.org.uk #m21
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